One evening in October 1992, LUNNA Kidi was invited to perform at the funeral of Zackayo Adero in Ramba. Zackayo Adero was a prominent businessman and a great friend of Kabaselle.
At that time, the manager of the band was Ogola Oyier, a physics teacher at Otieno Oyoo Secondary School. A few minutes into the performance, one of the major amplifiers blew out.
It was already too late to travel to Kisumu, more than 50 kilometers away, to buy a replacement. Even in Bondo, the shops had already closed. What were the options?
Someone suggested sending an emissary to borrow an amplifier from any of the bands performing in Bondo. It was estimated that, given Kale’s status, any of the musicians would easily consent to interrupt their concert and lend an amplifier to LUNNA Kidi, as his show was too important to be disrupted.
Ogola Oyier was assigned this responsibility. He drove the band’s pickup truck to Bondo town, identified a venue playing live music, parked, and embarked on his mission. The band performing at that particular venue happened to be Solar Boys, owned by Hosea Songa.
The band consisted of relatively unknown musicians at the time, including Omondi Tony as its rhythm guitarist, Musa Juma as the solo guitarist, and a drummer named Steve, among others.
When the request was placed, it was readily accepted. The musicians, equally excited, opted to board the Peugeot 504 pickup and accompany the amplifier to Ramba to witness the renowned Kabaselle perform. Any budding musician of that era would have wished to be like Kale one day. Upon arrival, the musicians who had escorted their amplifier helped set it up, and the powerful equipment roared back to life.
As LUNNA Kidi’s musicians lined up for their performance, one young musician from the Bondo team approached Oyier and asked which one among them was Kabaselle. Oyier pointed him out, and the young musician—Musa Juma—took a strategic position to watch his role model perform.
As was tradition, Kale commenced the show with the songs "Atieno" and "Maziwa Na." The crowd was thrilled, but it was the Bondo-based musicians who were even more excited.
“Niombee lift,” Musa Juma whispered to Ogola Oyier. This was musician’s jargon, asking for a chance to play with the band.
Oyier obliged. Kabaselle, who was on his favorite instrument—the rhythm guitar—handed Musa Juma the solo guitar. It was a rare opportunity for the young musician to showcase his potential in front of industry veterans and share the platform with them.
The moment Musa struck his first chord, Kabaselle turned to Oyier and instructed him to ensure that Musa Juma would be the first person to board the vehicle the next morning as they headed back to the city. Musa then traveled with the band to Kisumu, where LUNNA Kidi was based at Confidential Hotel, which was later rebranded as Kimwa Hotel.
Musa Juma became LUNNA Kidi’s solo guitarist for two years, performing with the band in Usenge, Mombasa, Nairobi, and Nakuru. During his time with LUNNA Kidi, he never sang—his role was strictly playing the solo guitar, which he was exceptionally skilled at.
In 1993, an entrepreneur named Randa, returning from abroad, purchased high-end equipment for a mobile discotheque and a band. The disco was named Space Shuttle, and the band was Limpopo. He began scouting for musicians, and one of his biggest recruits was Musa Juma, who was snatched from LUNNA Kidi.
Musa quickly became a star with Limpopo. It isn’t clear how he eventually took over the ownership of the band from the original owner, but he grew musically to become one of the most celebrated musicians in Nyanza. Although he denied having worked with Kabaselle in a radio interview, overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise. Even in his songs, he heavily borrowed from Kabaselle’s style and phrases, whether he admitted it or not.
Musa Juma’s mastery of the fretboard gave his music an unrivaled finesse. Many rumba fans believe that a band’s greatness is often determined by its solo guitarist, and Musa was an exceptional composer and accomplished guitarist.
If an outsider unfamiliar with Kenyan music were asked which band—Limpopo or Bana Kadori—most closely resembled LUNNA Kidi, the answer would undoubtedly be Limpopo.
Kabaselle’s music was a version of benga that leaned toward rumba while still retaining its benga identity. This style is what Musa Juma excelled in.
Among Luo music enthusiasts, there has always been a tendency to associate such music with elitism. This has led some benga musicians to move away from the mainstream benga style, as seen with artists like Collela Mazee and Prince Jully, and instead join the Luo rumba bandwagon.
However, from an expert’s perspective, benga should have continued evolving as its own distinct genre, potentially reaching an international audience without losing its identity.
Musa Juma re-recorded some of the songs he had initially produced with Solar Africa, and these songs gained national fame. Over the years, Musa became one of Nyanza’s most popular musicians. His signature slow rumba style attracted fans from across the country.
Radio stations also played a significant role in popularizing him beyond the traditional regions where benga had a following. Kisumu has long been the epicenter of rumba, likely due to its proximity to Siaya—a region often referred to as the “DRC of Kenya” due to the high number of musicians originating from there.
His songs "Marcelina" and "Siaya Kababa" became national anthems. As a prolific composer, Musa continued his band’s legacy by recording more music. His songs were slower-paced, making them easy to dance to and sing along with.
His compositions were also well-arranged, each featuring classic guitar solos by Musa Juma himself. He held concerts across the country, further popularizing his music and building a strong connection with his fans.
For some reason, Musa’s music created a euphoria that took on a near-cult-like following. Some of his fans have made exaggerated claims, calling him the greatest musician East Africa ever had—an assertion that is debatable, depending on the criteria used to gauge a musician’s greatness.
Data from record companies does not support the claim that Musa Juma outsold his peers. Neither do radio airplay statistics or club playlists indicate that his songs outperformed all others.
Isaya Oka, a seasoned musician, acknowledged that Musa was indeed a great artist, but the idea that he was the best of all time is a bit far-fetched.
Musa Juma, or MJ as his fans fondly called him, was admitted to a hospital in Mombasa, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He passed away on March 15, 2011. His widow, Winnie, took over the leadership of the band.
Fans across the country have continued to hold events commemorating his legacy, even 14 years after his passing.
By Jerome Ogola
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